There's Something Missing Inside
by SilverHandwriting
Summary: A twist on the events of Emmet and his friends, after they were taken prisoner by Lord Business. Rated T for torture and distressing scenes.
1. The Think Tank

So.

This is where it ended.

It wasn't like Emmet's plan was a dud – well, it was kind of a dud but that was because they weren't fast enough. Everything was clicking into place so smoothly and just at the last minute, the alarm was raised. He couldn't say this was a near win though – his plan was fine until Bad Cop appeared and arrested them all. His fate was being decided by the powerful man himself, Lord Business.

It was no use being optimistic.

They were trapped.

Being this close to such a threatening figure of a man was unexpectedly horrifying. He had never before seen him like this and wished he wasn't so surprised that he wore such vast stilt-like boots that made him tower over everyone.

It didn't help how fierce he looked either, with the deep red cape and some kind of ceremonial helmet. He basically oozed power and menace, looking the epitome of a victorious supervillain that was bathing in the fear of his enemies. Emmet couldn't move a muscle, not because of what Lord Business could do, but simply because of this shocking appearance of a worst nightmare that he had only heard about.

He was kicking himself now for not being able to be so closed in his expression of emotions. Perhaps that was the reason Lord Business wasn't so subtle, so as to strike fear into people's hearts where he could have much control as possible. That's what he wanted. If someone could face up to this guy without being terrified, he'd remark about not being dramatic enough. Making a show of everything seemed to be on this guy's mind a lot.

Vitruvius!

The wizard caught his eye in a sudden moment and he internally there was a pang of relief. He may have been blind, but he knew that it were possible that he could be the symbol of hope against Lord Business' symbol of pure, unadulterated terror. After all, not only was he a brilliant teacher, he didn't stand for oppressive ideologies and power-hungry dictators and in his own way they would underestimate his kickass moves.

Emmet was shivering as Vitruvius swiftly destroyed Lord Business' army of robot soldiers he sent after him, anticipating an escape. Not only was this place giving him the creeps, but the procrastination of saving the world could be procrastinated even further if Lord Business managed to gain a chance to obliterate any chance of freedom. This was probably the only way out, as he knew Business would be extremely vicious in dealing out his own form of torture that no one could escape from.

The last robot was destroyed. Vitruvius glanced back at Emmet, his face glowing with happiness and victory.

And in that moment, he was able to exchange that glance.


	2. Evil Has Arisen

He would have been happy to see this scenario take place, seeing the robot guards devastated across the room in complete ruins.

Emmet wished he'd banked on Lord Business still standing right behind Vitruvius, though, who had paused a second too late. To be honest, he was too focused on this small victory to glance up at the bigger picture himself.

But in a single, heart-stopping moment, Emmet had only noticed the disc when it had connected with Vitruvius' neck, who didn't have time to react due to his overwhelming surprise.

Emmet couldn't hear his own cry of helplessness above the echoes of everyone else's in the room as he saw the wizard's head hit the ground. He could feel himself physically shaking, words almost failing him. He wanted to be sick, not only because of this gruesome decapitation, but because he'd lost a friend, a friend to the twisted intentions of an exploitative overlord.

"The prophecy," the wizard's head murmured, rolling closer to a frightened Emmet, "I made it up."

Emmet wasn't sure if the feeling in the room had just gotten worse after this more than upsetting event. If he had lost hope already, his entire world had just come, not just crashing to the ground, but vaporising into thin air before his very eyes. The candle in the wind that had been through everything had now simply been puffed out, more or less by a hurricane.

The agony fared to continue, as he watched Vitruvius finally leave this world. Emmet could hear the drumming of his heartbeat against his chest and the blood thumping in his head. His eyes were unable to blink back tears, extremely reluctant to lift his head to see the predator of a man who had done this. The sadistic smirk was blatantly obvious, Emmet wishing he wasn't so transfixed by the sight. He was going to remember this for the rest of his life, already having permanently imprinted this at the front of his mind – whether he liked it or not.

He didn't want this man invading his mind, but nothing could stop him now.

Lord Business's laugh burned inside him, the vicious complacency evident in this inhuman sound. In fact, it crawled everywhere and not one single person had a possibility of escaping such terror.

"What are you going to do now, Emmet?" he asked, the sickening irony of faux pity in his voice, "How does it make you _feel_ that everything you ever had up until now, that made you have the audacity to try and defeat me and change everything, has now fallen through your hands?"

Lord Business stepped forward in those boots of his, shifting very close to Emmet. The contempt he had right now, along with the ability of being able to physically crush someone with his boots, twisted his smirk even further. Power and control were now running through his veins at an alarming rate, just to have everything he ever wanted right here, right now.

Emmet was just trying to comprehend this entire situation. He wanted to do something, anything, to get out of this place and get back home. To avoid the glare of this evil mastermind that stood before him. But every way out seemed illogical – what use was it fighting a man you were unable to put a dent in, or running away when everyone's lives were at stake?

"Poor Emmet. Not so special now, are we?"


	3. I Hope You Die

It was as if time was slowing down, to bring everything together that had happened ever since he had left Bricksburg. Emmet knew this moment wouldn't last forever, as everything was going to be obliterated soon enough. His whole world had gone to pieces, and it was sad to know that that wasn't as far as it was going to go.

He didn't want to echo the words of his worst enemy, but now that he had said it, his mind would not stop confirming it. What brutal manipulation was being used against him?

"Before I forget…" Lord Business deliberated, sounding out each word so tortuously, "There's something I need from you, Emmet."

Emmet's entire body tensed up as his mind went back to the Piece of Resistance. If Lord Business got his hands on that, it would be the end of the road. After all, it was the only thing stopping him from world domination. He bet all his money in the belief that Lord Business didn't believe they had drowned in the ocean.

He'd rather have been taken to a watery grave than be here right now.

"We'd rather die than let you have it!"

Both Emmet and Lord Business instinctively spun around to the sound. It was Wyldstyle, her face unblinking and determined. Emmet was shocked how possibly she could stand up to this dictator, hoping he didn't know what was coming next.

Lord Business was laughing now, but it was the kind where he wasn't opening his mouth to do so.

"Ah, Lucy," he said, "how cliché to stick up for your own boyfriend."

Batman shot her a glare.

"Don't call me that! I don't like that name!" she shouted, without realising what she had just said.

Lord Business moved closer with slow, frightening paces, his boots almost stepping on top of her. Emmet could see that she looked like she was beginning to falter under his fixed stare as he leaned over her.

"Well then, _Lucy_, can't you see who's in control? I've got all my robots pointing their guns straight at you and your friends' heads, so I can assure you you'll die anyway. I've already killed one of your friends, and I can do it again!" He laughed again, gesturing with his arms his entire army.

Her eyes burned with anger when he mentioned his murder of Vitruvius. "I hope you die a very painful death because of this," she spat, scowling at him. She could feel herself being dragged backwards at the forcefulness of her words, a gun resting on her temple. She wasn't being stupid. She was perhaps more full of rage that made her do this, not being able to hold herself back. If she died at the hands of Lord Business, then at least she'd know what she had said to him before she did.

"The words you say," he muttered, shrugging his shoulders in his manner of faux pity as she was held back, his voice getting more intense, "THEY MEAN NOTHING."


	4. Sing For The Hopeless

Emmet wasn't entirely sure what Wyldstyle's, or should he say, _Lucy's_ purpose was facing up to Lord Business when it was consistently apparent that he basically had the upper hand against them. Words, as the villain himself demonstrated, were useless. What kind of weapon were words against fire? They certainly weren't fire extinguishers, as you can't talk your way out of a militaristic grip.

He soon realised that she knew that – Lucy wasn't an idiot – but she was trying to make him _listen_. However pointless it was, Lucy knew in her heart of hearts that he couldn't keep this up forever. They wouldn't stand back, letting the echo of what she said sink in once he achieved world domination, even if she fell under his regime.

Emmet hoped that that would never happen. He wish he knew the guy's weaknesses.

Lord Business lifted himself from the position he was in, Lucy still glaring at him. He wasn't ignorant of that fact – he was proud that he had that effect on people. Whether they were cowardly fools or determined individuals who believed they were heroes, they all happened to underestimate his power that he had.

He strolled across from Emmet, but didn't look at him.

Emmet felt his heartbeat painfully vibrate against his chest. These moments couldn't be put off forever; Lord Business was frighteningly catching on to this.

"As I was saying…" the towering character remarked. It was such an abhorrently smooth tone; it was as if Emmet could feel people around him shudder, including himself.

"I know how particularly protective you are of this piece," he continued, "but you see, I can't continue world domination if I know you are going to be that way. That's why I want it and you know, I have my ways of being able to get what I want."

Emmet felt as if he was about to faint due to his overwhelming feelings. He tried stepping back to instinctively protect the piece, but almost instantaneously there was a gun at the back of his head.

Lord Business let out an amused laugh. "You really underestimate me, don't you? You're completely overpowered and you're still resilient that I'm not going to be able to have the piece?"

At a single click of this man's fingers, Emmet felt the pincers of a Micromanager attack him. He was unable to escape the constricting metallic grip around his throat, hearing the deafening screams behind him of his friends above his own as it picked him up. It looked like the guards themselves almost couldn't hold their own against his friends who practically leapt forward in ear-splitting protest.

"Somebody…do…SOMETHING!" he managed to cry out, choking as he felt the pressing need to breathe. His attempts at trying to tear the pincers apart were futile, his helpless, tearful feelings now bursting forth. His friends reflected his heightening distress as they saw him powerlessly dragged away.

Especially Unikitty, whose disturbance in mood was now highly volatile at this point in the proceedings.


	5. You're Not A Human, You're A Demon

For some reason, it was only now that Unikitty had found her chance to attack as her emotions boiled over the side. Emmet was being cruelly played with like some kind of puppet, tortured physically and psychologically. She couldn't take it anymore, her friends and the robot guards becoming more and more aware of the darkening red of her body.

In one single moment, the rubber band that held her down snapped and she careered forward as everyone flew to the side to avoid her uncontrollable rage.

She went straight for the Micromanager, her pointed fangs ripping into the metal and dashing it against the ground. Emmet fell to the ground, breathing heavily and sick to his stomach as Unikitty dashed over to defend him.

Lord Business had been disoriented for just a moment, but regained a much more frightful appearance.

"Don't just sit there, you inept morons! Subdue them!" he snarled, "Especially you, Bad Cop!"

Bad Cop had been unbalanced after Unikitty had lashed out, his gun having clattered to the floor. He shook his head wildly, blinking and adjusting his helmet. He immediately went for his weapon and moved forward, motioning the rest of the guards forward as carefully as possible. She was still extremely dangerous and any sudden movements would be counter-productive.

Unikitty circled Emmet, who was slowly growing in panic as more robots shifted around them. He whirled around violently as Unikitty knead her paws into the ground with her back arched, growling angrily.

"Don't you dare come any closer! You touch Emmet and you're dead!"

She certainly stuck to her word as they continued to approach; turning into a blur of red as she viciously mowed them down. Pieces of robots were strewn across the floor, high-pitched metallic echoes emanating from their dismantled systems. The only guard left standing was Bad Cop, but her eyes shrunk as she saw he had snatched Emmet in the crossfire with his gun angled straight at her.

"Finally!" she heard Lord Business shout, almost like a petulant child, "All these useless robots and I finally regain some control around here! Nice job, Bad Cop."

Emmet struggled in Bad Cop's grip, but his hand around his collar was more like a vice than anything. He felt like he wanted to throw up.

Bad Cop's finger curled around the trigger, Unikitty frozen in fear at staring down a gun barrel. Lord Business smirked at the advantageous situation, seeing his enemies subdued again after a short lack of control.

"I told you I wasn't afraid to do this again," he said, a vicious grin across his face, "Now, we're going to try this once more and I _will _get what I want this time."

With that, Bad Cop pushed his finger against the trigger. There was the harsh sound of a gun burst, followed by blood-curdling screams and unforgettably sadistic laughter.


	6. Save Your Breath, It's Far From Over

Chapter 6 – "There's Something Missing Inside" – _Save Your Breath, It's Far From Over_

Those few seconds preceding the shot had felt painfully slow and Emmet only had that many to be able to act. He was half choking in Bad Cop's grasp and his eyes were burning with tears as he saw Unikitty's body lock up and go pale as to the fear of the gun in front of her. Any moment now, she would be a dear friend lost to the hands of their cold-blooded enemies.

What Bad Cop underestimated that Emmet hoped would work was the freedom of his legs. What dumb luck this was, he thought, and almost instantly his right leg snapped upward, altering the gun's angle at the very last second. He could hear blood-curdling screams from behind him, as well as Unikitty's own piercing shriek of pure terror.

He sent himself reeling to the ground as Bad Cop let go, automatically diving towards Unikitty. He saw blood, his heart racing and throat dry. A further investigation revealed a wound in her shoulder, nowhere near to fatal but still bleeding. She looked sickly, and it hurt her to get up.

"Don't move, you're fine," he murmured, his throat still dry. It did look pretty bad, seeing her pink fur wet with blood. He ripped off a piece of his jacket, wrapping it around the wound. Emmet wished he had all the time in the world, watching her squeak occasionally in pain. If only there was some other way – all these events that had led to this could have been prevented. Surely they didn't have to happen? Couldn't they have picked someone else? He wasn't special enough to come up with great ideas anyway.

A shadow fell across his path, and he whirled around on his back. He only had enough time to scramble backwards, with no other option and his body locking up despite itself to run or attend to Unikitty. Her bleeding, fortunately, had slowed down dramatically, her breathing a sign of relief that Emmet couldn't seem to gain in this circumstance.

"Well," Emmet heard that creepy, ominous voice of Lord Business again, wanting the Earth to split apart and swallow him right now, "I seem to have impaired one of your friends. I hope you are cornered more easily this time, Emmet."

Bad Cop had leapt up and joined his boss beside him, looking as menacing as ever with that snarling expression.

Emmet groaned internally, wanting to pass out. The demonic look on Lord Business' face – the slanting unibrow, the slight upward turn of one side of his mouth – he hoped he never wanted to see again.

In an instant, Lord Business once again snapped his fingers; Emmet's upturned beetle-like position making it difficult to escape the Micromanager this time. A pincer grabbed his ankle, tossing him about recklessly in the process. He didn't feel the urge to scream (his friends did that for him) – rather, his head was swimming and he wanted to throw up instead.

There was a rush of cold air to his hot skin, and Emmet saw a beautiful, clear blue sky. He should have realised how high up Business' office was though, because the moment he looked down, he regretted it entirely.

He could admit two things: One, he was cornered and two, he _definitely _felt the urge to scream.


	7. What Lies Beneath A Sick Twisted Smile

Of course he was cornered. He was visibly panicking now, suspended above the Abyss of Nothingness whilst screaming. No amount of flailing around would get him out of this, except falling to his death, but that wasn't an option. Lord Business wanted the Piece of Resistance, but he probably wanted him to talk as well. The words Emmet would say would be hard enough – at this point, he was on the sliver of a knife's edge.

A few days ago he was sitting at home, minding his own business. If everything worked fine, he wouldn't have minded getting pulled into this. However, it didn't and here he was.

The worst part of this was that he was, yes, _upside down_, but he was facing right up close with Lord Business himself. This was more than intimidating, and he had just witnessed him dressed up and towering over him earlier _for the first time_. He felt like a defenceless little animal – like someone's prey dangling from the end of a string, of which he was.

Lord Business certainly looked amused from the position he was in. "Now Emmet," he spoke threateningly this time, his trademark smirk across his face, "are you going to give me the Piece of Resistance, or do I have to finish off your friends and let you fall to your death?"

"But I have the piece…" Emmet's eyes suddenly widened, "Ooh, I should have been expecting this from someone who doesn't play fair."

Emmet knew he had to scoot around like this in such a dangerous setting, with such a dangerous man. He was constantly reminded by what was swirling underneath him and the jeopardy his friends were in, so he knew it would be a death wish to start throwing out a few sarcastic comments in Lord Business' direction. That was despite how much he _really _wanted to.

"_Of course_ I don't play fair. Who do you take me for?" Lord Business rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'd be rid of the Piece of Resistance either way."

"So, you'll kill us now and have world domination, or you'll kill us later and force us to watch you achieve world domination before killing us? What kind of villain are you?" Emmet asked, a combination of outright offence and anger.

Lord Business grinned not only at this label, but Emmet's petty emotions. "I'm a pretty obvious one, _as if you didn't already know_."

With some strange kind of relief, he fell with a thud against the floor as he was dropped harshly. The relief was diminished however, as a constant shriek of pain came from Unikitty. She was flopped to one side, Bad Cop's foot pressing down on her bloody wound.

"This is nothing less than pure torture," he seethed, his pupils raised towards Business. His body was tense and demanding, but it felt like there was almost nothing he could do. Her yelps of pain only made the tears fall faster from his eyes. Of course, he would've wished to know what was coming next, as it only made him feel far worse.

The door opened and he and his friends jumped back in shock, an army of robots armed just like the previous lot coming through. Emmet watched, paralysed, as they overwhelmed what was left of his friends. He should have known Lord Business always had a disposable, unlimited supply of them. He wished he knew all about this earlier. He wished that everything didn't have to be this way. He wished this monster of a person wasn't torturing his friends. He wished the man himself didn't have to be so power-mad. Why on earth was he at the centre of all this? It was crazy and it was horrific and what was the real point of this prophecy anyway?

Why was he the one dragged into all of this?


	8. Broken Inside

He'd never believe in anything again, as far as this situation was going. He just wanted to go home and feel like his entire world was put back together and back to normal. He was just a young man lost in a control freak's dream.

He was terribly angry, but he also felt helpless and upset. He wanted to lash out, but where was the power when he only had the words? He forced himself not to cry, for the purpose of not looking vulnerable and weak.

But he knew that he was powerless, defenceless – no matter what he did, he and his friends seemed to be being broken down each time, underestimating the strength and intelligence of his enemy. He knew it was no use – he'd shown himself otherwise to be vulnerable and exposed, what else was he to do?

He honestly cried, right there.

On his knees, hands covering his tearful face with his head on the floor.

Right at the feet of Lord Business himself.

That was the ultimate form of surrender, giving up yourself right in front of your worst enemy, transferring every bit of strength you ever had to them, because there seemed no absolutely chance of winning.

Unikitty was lying on the floor, looking weak and pale, letting out shuddering cries of pain as Bad Cop leant his foot against her. Emmet let out a choked sob as he saw _every one of his friends _fall to the overpowering will of the outpour of robot guards. _He wanted to help, but he didn't have the power. He had the will, but where was the way?_

"You're certainly too kind for letting me win like this," Lord Business softly said, staring down at the crumpled mess of the not-so-Special-anymore, "thank you, you useless piece of unspecialness!"

He gestured to the Piece of Resistance. "It looks like you won't be needing THIS anymore."

A few robots scurried over at a sudden command, one of them wielding a sharp, silver object. Emmet glanced up too late to see them running over and Lucy's despairing face as she struggled against the robots, screaming something inaudible at him.

He felt himself being suppressed as he wanted to get up, trying to force himself against what was happening to him.

The weight soon lifted from him in a swift, slicing motion and it was with horror that he realised that the robots were now waving around the detached piece. One of them used an underarm throw that was too fast for him to do anything about, before Lord Business caught the famed piece in his hands. The man looked way too pleased with himself, the smugness radiating through his expression so sickeningly.

"I'm going to put this piece back where it belongs," he said, his grin spreading and strolling over to the open window. Emmet let out a horrendous scream just like everyone else, practically pleading with him. Lord Business simply laughed his usual way and dropped it in the most casual way possible as it flew into the Abyss below.

They all watched, all helpless. All except Lord Business, and his own robot guards, who stood there silent and emotionless.

The road to devastation had only just begun, Emmet thought, his gaze turning to the floor beneath him. He couldn't look at anyone, not even Lucy. Not now, anyway. Not when there was so much missing inside.


End file.
